10 Children's Books about Diversity

Reading children’s books about diversity with your kids is like opening a door and inviting them to step into a world they may not have ever thought about before. Books transport us to new places. Tremendous thoughts and ideas swirl around us like bees around a flower. Books can stir empathy and kindness which is sorely needed in our world today, right?

Reading to my kids, whether my own children or my kids in the classroom, has long been one of my favorite ways to introduce hard topics and generate rich conversation. Sometimes, the text gives us just the right words and just the right images to begin. And we all need to begin this conversation.

Look, Maestra!

When I was a public school teacher, I spent 11 out of 14 years in classrooms where my skin did not match the color of my little students. I was the only one of my color in the room.

That first year teaching, I wondered, “would it matter?” Will it bother my students to have a teacher who looks so different from them? And right away, I discovered, little preschool and kindergarten kids don’t care. Did they notice? Some did. Some didn’t.

They paid much more attention to my smile than my skin.

One year, when we had been studying about our bodies, naming body parts, a sweet little boy with creamy mocha colored skin put his little arm up beside my pale peachiness. “Look, Maestra! We’re the same!”

I grinned. “Si, mijo. Yes, we are.”

Little children are very open to diversity. It’s often adults and older children who teach them to see color and to assign value or deficit to it. Shame on us.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons why God commanded us to become like little children. Their simple ways of seeing past the veneer and into a person’s depths is what being a human is all about.

Children’s Books about Diversity

In my years in the classroom, and in my home, I have found it challenging to teach young children about racial diversity and the hate and hurt that mars our shared histories. How do you talk to little ones about serious, tough subjects like race and diversity?

One of the best tools we have as parents and teachers is good literature – children’s books about diversity – that can broach tough subjects such as race, prejudice, differences, disabilities, strife, and conflict. These books open a conversation and give us opportunity to engage our children in meaningful, impactful conversation.

So, I combed through our family Book Nook and pulled out some of our favorite children’s books about diversity. There are SO many great books I could share! In fact, my list started off so long that it became unmanageable! How awesome that there ARE so many children’s books about diversity available! Eventually, I paired it down to my top 10 favs.

Top 10 Children’s Books about Diversity

1. I’m Like You, You’re Like Me/ Yo soy como tú, tú eres como yo by Cindy Gainer, illustrated by Miki Sakamoto

A sweet book with vibrant illustrations focusing on the things we share and the things that make us unique but how we can show kindness and respect to each other no matter what. Put into simple childlike language, the author explores how our hair might be curly or straight, our bodies little or big, families large or small. A great read!

2. The Land of Many Colors/ La tierra de muchos colores by Rita Pocock

One of my personal favorites! The green, blue, and purple people can’t get along. Each color thinks their color is the best, which leads to conflict, hurtful words, and finally, outright war until something amazing happens that stops everyone in their tracks and challenges their thinking! An impactful book about racial conflict on a societal level that little kids can easily understand. But, this children’s book on diversity is challenging to find for a decent price, so if you can’t get your hands on it, check out this read-aloud on Youtube as an alternative.

3. The Snowy Day/ Un día de nieve by Ezra Jack Keats

This is a classic, beloved early childhood book about a little boy taking a walk through the snow! The book itself isn’t a children’s book about diversity at all, so why did it make the Top 10 list? Because Ezra Jack Keats is well renowned for writing beautifully illustrated stories featuring African American children as the main characters. A Caldecott-award winning book, the New York Public Library recently announced this is the #1 circulating book in its 125 year history! His books are fabulous and celebrated for adding a welcome note of diversity to the stage of children’s literature. Amazon Prime has a nice video of the book here.

4. The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane Derolf, illustrated by Michael Letzig

This books sends a strong message about community, inclusivity, and diversity from the perspective of a box of crayons. At first, the different colors can’t get along, but then green realizes he would be missing the sky without his friend blue and the sunshine without his friend yellow. An insightful story to show how much we truly all need each other!

5. Mama, do you love me? by Barbara M. Joose, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee

A small Inuit Native American girl shares a common concern with children everywhere that her mama will not love her if she misbehaves. A delightfully illustrated story rich with Alaska Native American imagery and symbols, this story helps young children bridge the gap between cultures to explore themes common to childhood. Mama loves you no matter what! The story is a treasured introduction to what is probably an unfamiliar culture. My little girl loves for me to read this one to her again and again – it’s that sweet!

6. What if We Were all the Same by C.M. Harris, illustrated by Eric Everett

This is a significant new book helping children consider the many reasons to be friends with children who look different than themselves. The book explores children’s ethnicity as well as physical differences such as eye color and using a wheelchair. A wonderful conversation starter for racial diversity, empathy, and community! This book was the Gold recipient for the 2020 Mom’s Choice Award. You should check it out!

7. Too many Tamales/ Qué montón de tamales by Gary Soto, illustrated by Ed Martinez

Similar to The Snowy Day listed above, a well-rounded Top 10 List of Children’s Books About Diversity, wouldn’t be complete without this classic story detailing a Hispanic family gathering to celebrate the holidays! This story is filled with food, family, and fun! Kids of all ethnicities will relate to the cousins as they go through a tiny crisis and solve it together. We like to read this one every year around Christmas – and eat some tamales, of course.

8. We Are a Rainbow/ Somos un arco iris by Nancy Maria Grande Tabor

This rhyming verse book explores the cultural conflicts that can occur between children of not just different ethnicities, but different languages, too. “Apart. Alone. Please stop and think. Are we as different as we think?” This book is a great way to begin the conversation about reaching out to children who may not share your language or race, but share invaluable things like smiles, laughter, rain, and rainbows.

9. Black is Brown is Tan by Arnold Adoff, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully

This charming, heart-warming story has stolen my heart! It describes a biracial family with a white father, a black mother, and two sweet biracial children as each member of the family celebrates and explores their uniqueness. Shared in poetry, this book is full of love and warmth. In 1973 when it was first published, it was the first biracial family portrayed in children’s literature and the story has endured through the decades. Makes for a great read-aloud on YouTube, also.

10. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent

This is one of my kids’ favs! Set long, long ago in China, this is the fanciful little story of a tiny, little boy with a great, big, long name. A minor disaster ensues due to that big, long honorable name, but all ends well. The rolling language and sweet illustrations of an era gone by open a conversation about cultures and peoples of other times and other places, teaching children a respect and appreciation for families who may look different from their own.

WAIT! Just one more story, Mom!

I know I said Top 10, but I couldn’t wrap up without sharing just one more children’s book about diversity! This book was my very first encounter as an adult with children’s books about diversity! It was given to me my first year teaching and was something I read to my early childhood students for all the years I taught. In my little opinion, no children’s books list on diversity would be complete without it!

We Are All Alike, We Are All Different/ Todos Somos Iguales, Todos Somos Diferentes by the kindergarteners of Chiltenham Elementary School

Written and illustrated by kindergarten students, this book reflects a perfect childlike innocence on big topics like ethnicity, families, diversity, and inclusion. The young authors explore how they look and feel, their homes and families, their favorite foods and favorite games to conclude that we are all alike and we are all different. Written in 1991, this one can also be hard to track down, but it is worth the hunt. Catch it on YouTube here. You’ll be glad you did! This one is a must for preschool and early elementary children.

We are Made in the Image of God

A lonely little boy with big crocodile tears wandered the empty hallway on the 2nd day of pre-k.

“Who is your teacher?” someone asked. But he didn’t respond because he couldn’t understand English.

“¿Quién es tu maesta?” another asked him.

“No sé cómo se llama.” (“I don’t know her name”), he finally responded. “Pero es una güerita.” (But she’s a white girl).

The staff immediately brought me my little lost boy. They knew he belonged to me because I was the only white bilingual teacher. He ran into my arms and into my heart. And there I had the answer to my question, “will it matter?” Not a bit.

We are all made in the image of God and as such we share something priceless that transcends anything that might keep us apart. Together, we share smiles, hugs, new learning, and humanity. A chance to make the world a more diverse and beautiful place.

Have a conversation today with your kids and begin it with these children’s books about diversity. Have some more to add to the list? I’d love to hear it! Leave a comment below and share your favorite children’s books about diversity.